When Facebook Gets Creepy

Facebook knows when you’re sleeping, it knows when you’re awake, so be good for goodness sake.

Facebook, while informational and entertaining, can also be creepy. I say this having gotten multiple friend requests from someone whose friend list is comprised solely of people named "Chandra." But aside from the sometimes borderline-disturbing behavior of Facebook users, the site itself has also been accused of violating personal boundaries.

Of course, Facebook is an opt-in social network, and people should be aware of what they're getting themselves into before joining. But Facebook's frequent policy changes and shifting site alliances can lead to user confusion, resulting in users sharing more information than they realize.

Facebook users have taken to online diatribes and lawsuits to try to persuade the company to change its ways. But there's been a steady increase in the company sharing and monetizing user data over the course of its history. This attitude is endemic to Facebook because it comes directly from its founder and CEO.

Mark Zuckerberg, in a very Nietzsche meets Orwell sort of way, once declared the death of privacy in an interview with TechCrunch. "People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people," he said. "That social norm is just something that has evolved over time."

There's a whiff of hypocrisy there. As the San Jose Mercury News reported, Zuckerberg recently bought four homes near his own in order to protect his privacy. He made the $30 million purchase after discovering that a developer was going to buy the home next go his and tell potential buyers that they could be Zuckerberg's neighbor.

Meanwhile, Facebook recently stopped allowing people to remain anonymous on the social network's search engine, meaning if you have a profile, anyone can find you.

As a Facebook user, you may not even realize what you're sharing and with whom. To see whose radar you might be showing up on thanks to your Facebook profile, check out the slideshow.

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Friends Don't Let Friends: Tagging

Friends Don't Let Friends: Tagging

Friends are the people you can rely on in life. Facebook friends, well, maybe not so much. That said, it pays to not make much of a distinction between the two. On Facebook, friends can tag you in photos or videos, add you to groups, and check you in to Places, all without your having to do a thing. You can untag yourself and remove yourself from a group, but only after the fact. Even if you're not on Facebook but your friends are and they sync their contacts from the Facebook app to their iPhone, Facebook now has your name, phone number, and email address.

Zombies. No power. No Internet. Your worst fears realized. Take a deep breath and find comfort in the fact that these gadgets can make all difference between staying alive and unwittingly joining the phalanx of the ravenous undead lurking outside.